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Houston police eye spy in the sky

// January 13th, 2010 // p2p

- | Freedom:- “This looks like fun!” – says Boing Boing . “Houston Police using secret unmanned drone aircrafts to spy on folks.” The post points to a GooTube video showing “invite only” guests arriving at a demo of a drone. Not fun. Weapon-carrying, remotely c0ntrolled aircraft of one kind or another are standard gear for the military and agencies such as the CIA and it’s not in the least surprising to find this kind of  spy plane being eyed by a police force. The pic on the top is from a 2007 Defensetech post and shows an Insitu Inc ScanEagle launching. The one underneath is a clip from a Local2 TV news expose of the secret (or so local cops thought) Houston test. The frame used to launch both aircraft look similar, if not the same. Says the copy to the Defensetech item > > > Such a drone would take the fight to anti-​​Iraqi forces in areas where they currently perceive sanctuary, according to a briefing provided by one advisor, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press. The concept is to take an existing Tier II medium-​​size drone in the vein of the 10-​​foot-​​wingspan Boeing/​InSitu Scan Eagle, and fit it with two 40-​​millimeter grenade launchers, two green-​​laser dazzlers and a focused sound device similar to the Long-​​Range Acoustic Device manufactured by American Technology Corporation. This suite would give Marine operators escalation of force options, according to the briefing. In other words, the drone would be able to first warn off suspected insurgents by beaming a verbal message in Arabic. If the suspects dont disperse, the drone can dial up the intensity of its sound broadcast, causing pain and disorientation. If that doesnt work, there are the laser dazzlers, which can cause temporary blindness from up to a mile away. If, after all of this, the suspects are still behaving threateningly, the drone can fire its grenade launchers. They can stay airborne for up to 24 hours. The first question is: how many of them are already in use, by whom, and where? And the second is: what else could/will they be used for — other than nabbing speeders from the sky? Police in Vancouver, BC, are already psyched up to deploy the Long Range Acoustic Device mentioned in the story. They “won’t rule out using a new crowd-control device as a weapon capable of emitting loud, painful blasts of sound that are potentially damaging to hearing,” says the Vancouver Sun , continuing: “But police spokesman Const. Lindsey Houghton insisted Tuesday that the Long Range Acoustical Device was bought principally to replace ‘antiquated hand-held megaphones’ as a tool to communicate in emergencies and for crowd control. Asked if police would ever use it for anything more than communication, Houghton said, “We can’t rule out anything.” There’s no way police (and other) forces will be able to resist a  spy eye in the sky that can be flown anywhere, even out of sight. George Orwell’s 1984 is starting to look like a walk in the park. Says Insitu blandly > > > Developed in partnership with The Boeing Company, ScanEagle stands above the competition with high stealthy levels at very low altitudes enabled by a low acoustic, visual, and infrared range signature, an advanced muffler, and a mature modular design that enables carriage of electro-optic or infrared imaging payloads. ScanEagle’s small operational footprint includes a pneumatic catapult and Insitu’s proprietary SkyHook retrieval system that offers true runway-independence. This permits launches and captures on small ships, unimproved terrain, and in to the wind for superior operating envelopes. ScanEagle’s retrieval system may also be used with other Insitu UAS. Differentiating characteristics including low personnel requirements, in-field component replaceability, inertially stabilized camera that can track fixed and moving objects for extended periods, and 24-hour flight endurance capability have made ScanEagle the UAS of choice for armed forces around the world. Stay  tuned. (Cheers, RW ) - … .. … and identi.ca More First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi Boing Boing – Video of Houston Police secret aerial drones, January 12, 2010 Defensetech – Laser Drone for the Corps, Juen 4, 2007 Long Range Acoustic Device – BC cops get ‘directed acoustic device’, November 14, 2009 Vancouver Sun – New hailer is a loudspeaker, not a crowd-control device, police say, November 11, 2009 Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. Subscribe to - | | rss feed: http://-/feed -? -